World Superbike lines up at EICMA bike show for second year

Rome (Italy), Friday 9 November 2012 – The eni FIM Superbike World Championship and EICMA (the International Motorcycle Exhibition) will be teaming up for the second successive year to bring the best of the 2012 racing season to the Milan show and underline its presence as one of the highlights of this year’s edition.

Next week, EICMA’s Pavilion 10 Stand G96 will be the venue for the impressive SBK Paddock Show, with its 500 square metres of riders, bikes, gadgets, games, girls and entertainment. The SBK area, present throughout the event, will see a succession of activities involving the protagonists of this year’s Superbike, Supersport and Superstock championships, with autograph sessions and interviews on the SBK Paddock Show stage from Thursday through until Sunday.

Champions are always the main attraction at the SBK Paddock Show and this year will be no exception with the newly-crowned, and now retired, double winner Max Biaggi scheduled to make an appearance, together with one of his legendary predecessors, the four-time title holder Carl Fogarty.

The other riders who provided all the action this year will all be present – Tom Sykes, Marco Melandri, 2011 champion Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano, Leon Haslam, Michel Fabrizio, Ayrton Badovini and Chaz Davies. Triple winner Kenan Sofuoglu represents World Supersport, together with Sam Lowes and Massimo Roccoli from the same category. Superstock 1000 is also well-represented with cup winner Sylvain Barrier from France.

Eni, the FIM Superbike World Championship Title Sponsor, will have a major presence alongside the Paddock Show, with an information desk, gadgets, girls and a radio-controlled model racing track for visitors to try out, while pride of place inside the SBK Paddock Show will go to Top Sponsor Alfa Romeo with the Alfa MiTo Safety Car recently on display at the Paris Show.

The Official SBK Riding School will have its own dedicated public area with information, tips, gadgets and prizes and explanatory tutorials for all interested parties.

The SBK Paddock Show contains a spectacular display of the current World Superbike machines, accompanied by video game consoles and a big screen projecting videos of the best action of this year’s championship and past races, as well as a stand where visitors can purchase official SBK merchandise. A DJ set is also on the programme for Friday and Saturday evening.

Press/Trade days at the 70th edition of EICMA are Tuesday and Wednesday with the show open to the general public from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 November.